Mikhail Fridman proposes $4 billion investment in Oi of Brazil

The Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman may spend as much as $4 billion to expand his telecommunication holdings into South America.

On Monday, the Brazilian telecommunications company Oi said that Mr. Fridman’s investment group, LetterOne, had given it a proposal to invest in a possible merger of Oi with Telecom Italia’s local operator, TIM Participações.

“In accordance with LetterOne’s proposal, sent by BTG Pactual to Oi’s management and board, LetterOne would be willing to invest as much as $4 billion in Oi, conditioned on the operation of consolidation (with TIM),” Oi said in a statement. The company said that it would “analyze” the offer.